SeaSketch Over Cellular Network

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This week, we used SeaSketch extensively in over cellular networks on the Island of Barbuda. It worked like a charm. People often ask what kind of bandwidth is required to run SeaSketch. It's a web-based platform, so how does this work in places that don't have ethernet or cable networks? We put it to the test this week when we met with stakeholders in Barbuda, where we consistently operated SeaSketch over a cellular network.

When SeaSketch over a cellular network, it can take about 20 seconds as the initial download is currently around 7 mb (though we're working to reduce that number). Once loaded, however, most of the work is on the client side and, therefore, limited only by the resources of the computer and browser that's running it.

We held 4 meetings and, as you can see in this video, met with plenty of folks simply sitting on the side of the road. With a dongle that connected us to a local cell tower, SeaSketch worked beautifully.

Using SeaSketch on a laptop with a cellular connection. 

Using SeaSketch on a laptop with a cellular connection. 

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Will McClintock

Dr. Will McClintock is a Project Scientist at the University of California Santa Barbara and former Director of the MarineMap Consortium. He received a B.A. in Biology from Earlham College, M.S. in Behavioral Ecology from the University of Cincinnati, an M.A. in Counseling Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute and a Ph.D. in Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology from the University of California Santa Barbara. He has participated in over a dozen marine spatial planning initiatives around the world.